TN govt doctor nabbed for revealing gender of fetus

CHENNAI: A government doctor posted as an assistant surgeon at Sivagangai Medical College in Tamil Nadu was caught by a team of health department officials and police on Thursday for allegedly revealing the gender of fetuses in violation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994.

A team of officials from the health department sent two pregnant women as decoy to the Sivagami Surgical Clinic at Kalayar Kovil in Sivaganga where Dr Arun Dhandapani has been practising. The pregnant women were accompanied by senior doctors including a joint director Dr N Rukmani from Madurai.

Dr Dhandapani charged the pregnant women Rs 850 for scan and an additional Rs 3,000 for revealing the gender of the fetuses. While he revealed the gender to one woman, he took money from the other woman and asked her to come for a repeat scan next week. He asked her to contact the clinic helper, Chinnaponnu, who doubles up as his tout.

A team of police officials led by DCP Thomas Prabhakaran seized Rs 6,000 as cash and ultrasound machines from the clinic.

Officials also seized medicines including abortion kits from the clinic that has an operation theatre. Officials said although they had not found case sheets, circumstances showed that he could have carried out sex selective abortions.

He will be produced in court on Friday. The health department will also send a complaint against him to the Directorate of Medical Education.

"As of now, we know that he has not been attending work since September 2016. We got information that he has been practising in his private clinic offering scan services to pregnant women" said director of medical services Dr P Bhanu.

The department will send a complaint to the state medical council for suspension of the surgeon's licence.

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